A little wonder, every day

A calculator contract led Intel to the 4004

Opened Intel 4004 processor, manufactured in 1971; photograph credited to the Science Museum Group, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Science Museum Group. No edits. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Intel_4004_open.jpg

Museum display showing a Busicom calculator and a 4004-based board, photographed in 2007 by Ruud Dingemans; the photographer released the image worldwide into the public domain. No edits. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Busicom.JPG

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Opened Intel 4004 processor, manufactured in 1971; photograph credited to the Science Museum Group, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Science Museum Group. No edits. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Intel_4004_open.jpg

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In 1969, Japanese company Busicom asked the young Intel to design a set of chips for a desktop calculator. Intel engineers proposed four chips instead of the twelve originally planned; one of them, the Intel 4004, was programmable and became the first microprocessor sold commercially. In 1971, Intel bought the rights to sell the 4004 outside Busicom calculators, and the chip reached a wider market.